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All That Matters (Originshipping, PG-13 with NC-17 Epilogue)

I was honestly hesitating about putting this fic up here, knowing how unwelcome Originshipping is, but...
...I could not call myself an Originshipping fangirl if I didn't have enough faith in my ship to support it anywhere and everywhere.

Some of you folks may have seen this fic on my Fanfiction.net or Deviantart accounts.

--------------

Chapter 1

The last thing Wallace was expecting upon his return to Sootopolis was a visitor. The League Champion had made arrangements and obtained permission to return to his hometown for a brief visit with his teacher and the Pokémon that he had left behind when he had assumed his new rank. He was fairly certain that he had left Ever Grande in as inconspicuous a manner as possible, so that no one other than the other Elite Four members and his former teacher would have known of his return. Nevertheless, at this very moment his Pokémon were insisting that someone was at the door.

"But that's odd...I didn't hear any knocking. Or footsteps." And his Pokémon were acting far too calmly for the visitor to be a thief or intruder, even though half past three a.m. was a decidedly unusual time for most people to be up and about. Then again, he hadn’t been able to sleep himself, and had chosen to deal with his insomnia by introducing his new Pokémon to his old ones and catching up on recent developments with the latter, all whilst basking in the calm ambience of the night.

e's just standing at the door. He hasn't knocked yet, although it looks like he wants to. Now he's starting to leave. This most recent piece of information came to Wallace courtesy of his Milotic—his most trusted Pokémon and one of the only ones who had been able to stay with him in his transition from Gym Leader to Champion.

"He?" Wallace pondered the significance of this as he raced to the door and opened it just in time to see a figure freeze in mid-walk about twenty meters from the doorstep. As his eyes adjusted to the dim moonlight, Wallace detected something familiar about the person.

"Steven? Is that you?"

The figure made no response. Wallace was now fairly certain that it was indeed his longtime friend whom he had not seen for nearly a year. He quickly caught up to the figure, which at least was not making any attempt to get away. He confirmed his suspicions upon approach.

"Steven! Why, it's been a while, hasn't it? How are you doing?"

Steven did not turn around.

"Steven...Are you all right? What are you doing here at this hour? Is something wrong?"

Nothing but silence greeted all of Wallace's questions, which was enough to answer at least one of them.

"Would you care to tell me what's bothering you?" Wallace reached out and put a hand on Steven's shoulder to call his attention. He felt Steven flinch under the touch, although the other man did not move away.

"Steven."

An expectant silence.

And then, almost inaudible despite the silence of the night:

"I'm sorry."

Wallace found it difficult to decipher the muttered words.

"Pardon?"

There was another silence. Then...

"Wallace." The word was a mere whisper. Steven at last began slowly turning around to face his friend. However, he kept his head down so that Wallace could see nothing of the facial expression hidden beneath the wind-tousled strands of silvery-blue hair.

"I...I'm so sorry..."

"You're...sorry?" Wallace could now easily guess the expression he couldn't see, but this only left him more confused.

"I...I went traveling..."

The water trainer forced his mind to adjust to this bit of non sequitur.

"Yes, as you always do."

"I went...all around Hoenn..."

"Did something happen somewhere?" Wallace desperately wanted Steven to get to the point. The water trainer was only too aware that speaking in a direct, concise manner was second nature to a businessman's son with a scientifically-oriented mind. He therefore found Steven's sudden attack of circumlocution highly unnerving.

"All right, I’ll take that as a no. Let me guess, you battled the trainer, he or she defeated you, and you came back here to apologize for losing," Wallace teased.

"No, it’s not like that at all!” Steven stopped, surprised by his own sudden outburst. “Sorry. What I meant is...we…we just talked. Mostly. That’s all."

"Oh? But somehow I doubt that ‘just talking’ would leave you this upset."

Steven did not respond.

"I won't stop questioning you until you tell me, you know."

"We battled."

Wallace smiled mischievously. "Ah, so you did—"

"But we didn't finish. We called it a draw, because—I mean—he said something—asked me something—and then I..."

"And then you…?" Wallace silently noted the new detail revealed by Steven’s choice of pronoun.

"I…” Steven knew it was now or never, and he just couldn’t bring himself to keep a secret like this from such a close friend. “It's really complicated, but some things happened and we—we got...involved." There, he’d said it.

Wallace mentally finished the sentence and gave himself a moment to digest this information. He could feel the tension emanating from Steven as the young man awaited a response.

“I…I see.” Wallace noted with concern that his companion flinched visibly the instant the first syllable broke the silence. Another long period of silence followed, and then Steven spoke.

“I’m really, really sorry—I mean it. And if you’re angry, I understand. You have every right to be.”

“I do? What for?” Wallace asked with his head tilted quizzically to one side.

Steven looked up in surprise. "What do you mean 'what for'? Didn't you hear what I just said?"

Finally able to get a good look at his friend’s face, Wallace took his time observing the trepidation in his companion’s flustered expression before responding, "Yes, indeed I did."

"Then...Then you ought to know exactly why..." Steven let his words trail off as the realization hit him:

"You're not angry with me?"

"Is there some reason I should be?"

"Is there any reason you shouldn't be? I just admitted to...doing that...with...with a complete stranger, after we—you and I—had already…!" Steven did not bother to hide the embarrassment and frustration he felt—frustration partially at himself for being so stupid and vulnerable, and frustration partially at Wallace for remaining so calm. Said frustration only deepened when Wallace's reacted to his outburst with an amused chuckle.

"Come now, Steven, the expression ‘beautiful stranger’ wasn’t invented for nothing. You can hardly be blamed for acting according to human nature—especially given that your own nature is unusually sweet and guileless." Wallace's voice was soft, almost purring, and Steven found himself hating the way the silken sound flowed through his mind and broke through every last one of his usually-impregnable mental defenses. How could one person hold so much power over anyone, least of all over someone who prided himself on his ability to conceal and suppress any and all emotions at will? But all the irritation in the world could not stop the sound, and it continued, as mesmerizing as ever.

"Besides, I would've been surprised if you of all people didn't find a powerful trainer attractive." Wallace tilted the corner of his mouth up in a sly smile. The expression only served to aggravate Steven's discomfiture. "He must have been quite charming,” Wallace added, watching with mischievous enjoyment and just the slightest twinge of guilty pleasure as the pink already tinting his friend's cheeks deepened to a shade of crimson.

"I—I still—I never should have...I never should have agreed...I never should have let myself..."

"I don't see why."

"What-what do you mean? What I did..."

"I'm quite aware of what you did, Steven, and I don't see any reason to be upset about it. Well, I suppose I might be a bit concerned if it wasn’t consensual—"

"No! I mean, no, it-it was—it must have been—consensual…on my part and his…" Steven kept his gaze trained on the floor. "It’s just...right now, I can't imagine—Wallace, I'm so sorry." Steven stood staring at the ground for another minute or so. Then, as if he suddenly remembered where he was, he turned to leave. However, he had not taken two steps when the gentle pressure of a hand on his arm arrested his progress.

--------------

Chapter 2

"Steven. Steven, please. It's all right."

"I really should go."

“Steven, you realize that it’s almost four in the morning?”

“So? You’re up, aren’t you?”

“What about your Pokémon? I should think that they won’t be too pleased.”

“That’s all right. My Pokémon will be fine; none of them are strictly diurnal. And I’ll be doing paperwork all day tomorrow, so they’ll have as much time as they want to rest up.”

“That’s not what I meant. They might not have set patterns of rest and activity, but I’m sure they know that you do, and I doubt they approve of you wearing yourself out. And if you’ve got enough paperwork to keep you occupied all day, you certainly won’t be able to rest up. I can tell you’re exhausted even as we speak. The least you can do is come inside and sit awhile.”

Steven realized there would be no arguing with his friend, so he let Wallace lead him into the house. Both were met at the door by Wallace’s Pokémon, who despite the formality of their greetings were apparently just as pleased to see Steven as their trainer had been. Steven returned their polite but congenial salutations, and decided that his own Pokémon could do with some company as well. The Pokémon were aware of the crowding that was now occurring in the house, and excused themselves outside, conveniently—and not unintentionally—leaving their trainers alone. Milotic even shared a knowing glance with his trainer as he closed the door behind him with his tail.

Now once again alone with Wallace, Steven felt embarrassment overcome him. He shifted awkwardly in his standing position and made several attempts to raise his head, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not bring himself to look at his friend. This left Wallace to break the silence.

“Steven, I’ve already told you there’s no reason for you to apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong.” Wallace did not bother to hide the fact that he was getting tired of Steven’s guilt trip. However, Steven still couldn’t understand the reasons for his friend’s continued apathy toward his confession.

“Why…?”

“What do you mean, ‘Why’?”

“Why…Why aren’t you angry? As if it weren’t enough that I forced the burden of the Championship on you, I used the new freedom you’d given me—a freedom that you and your Pokémon alone paid the price for—by going off and fooling around with someone else! And worst of all, I did that after we’d already…given ourselves to each other! I’ve done the unforgivable, and yet you…you…” Steven’s chest was heaving with barely contained emotion, making it impossible for him to continue speaking.

“Steven, please calm down. I now see why you expect me to be angry, but the truth is that those are the reasons that you are angry with yourself, not the reasons that I should be angry with you.”

“Then…Then…you’re still not…?” Steven was stunned. Even after all that he had just said…

“Of course not!” Noting the expression on Steven’s face after this declaration, Wallace quickly added, “And before you continue feeling guilty about how you don’t deserve such magnanimity from me, you should know that my lack of anger doesn’t stem from any sort of altruism. I haven’t gotten any saintlier since we last met, and if you had indeed done something to hurt our relationship, I would most certainly be angry. But the fact is that you haven’t. When you told me why I should be angry with you, you were comparing things of two entirely different magnitudes. I’m surprised you don’t realize this.” Wallace raised an eyebrow at his friend in mild consternation.

“What—what do you mean? What haven’t I realized? What do you mean by comparing things of two different magnitudes?”

“I mean the difference in importance between what I did in taking over for you as Champion and what you did in becoming involved with a stranger. A relationship as close as ours has to be based on things—events, emotions, memories—that truly mean something to us, things that have affected us deeply and permanently. My taking over for you as Champion is one of those things; our little one-night stand was not.”

“What…? Are-Are you…Are you saying that sleeping with me didn’t affect you?” Steven’s disbelief and agitation caused his voice to rise in volume and pitch. “It certainly affected me! And I’m pretty sure the memory won’t disappear anytime soon!” Steven’s voice quavered on those last words. Seeing the other man so distressed, Wallace’s gaze softened, and he reached out and gently grasped Steven’s hand, squeezing it softly in reassurance. He half-expected Steven to pull away, but instead felt a brief tightening of fingers around his own. Wallace smiled in relief and responded to his friend’s question.

“It did affect me, and I treasure that moment and hope never to forget it. But I must ask you, which do you think means more to me: the romance we had for one night, or the friendship that we’ve had for years? Which do you think our relationship is based on?”

Steven realized what his friend was trying to say and felt slightly stupid for not realizing it sooner, but even so, not all of his doubts had been quelled. “I…I thought…because we’d…done that…that we were in love, and that it was part of our relationship now! Our relationship isn’t just one of platonic friendship anymore…is it?”

“And what if it isn’t? Even if romance is now part of our relationship, it certainly isn’t the most important part! At least, I’ve never thought of it as part of the basis of our relationship. I’ve always seen it as a sort of…side effect that happened because we’re so close.”

Steven narrowed his eyes slightly and sighed before continuing. “But...Wallace, didn’t you know that it was precisely because we’re so close that I was afraid that I’d damaged our relationship? If we weren’t so close, I’d never even worry that you’d be angry with me for what I did, because I’d be certain that you wouldn’t care and wouldn’t be hurt if you knew. But because we are so close…I…I…I was so afraid that I had hurt you that…that…it never occurred to me that you wouldn’t see it the same way I did…”

Wallace could feel Steven’s hand trembling in his own, and he entwined their fingers together in an attempt to comfort the distraught man.

“It’s all right—”

“No, no it’s not!” Steven jerked his hand away and clenched it into a fist.

This time it was Wallace’s turn to sigh. They appeared to have taken a step in the wrong direction.

--------------

Chapter 3

“It’s not okay because I’m being an unbearable idiot and forcing you to tolerate it—” Steven stopped short as another thought hit him. “I’m always forcing you to do things, aren’t I? I always come to you with some sort of request or complaint, and you always…you never refuse. Why?! Why can’t you say no once in a while?! Why do you always put up with me?!”

Wallace closed his eyes and sighed again. “Because, contrary to what you believe, you’ve never forced me to do anything. Forcing me would imply that I acted against my will, but you said yourself that I never refused you.”

“That’s because you’re too good to say no! You’d never say no to me even if you knew you should!”

“You’ve never asked anything of me that I knew was wrong or impossible. And I know you never will, because you’re not that kind of person.”

“How do you know?”

“I know for the same reason that you know that I’ll never say no to you. Don’t you see? It’s the reason that we became such close friends in the first place!” Wallace waited for Steven to say something. When a minute passed with no response, Wallace spoke again, but this time he tried a slightly different approach.

“I believe you said somewhere back there that you felt guilty for—how did you put it—‘forcing the burden’ of being the Champion on me?”

“Well it is a burden, Wallace, don’t try to deny that. For me it was a burden so great that I eventually couldn’t bear it.”

Wallace continued as if Steven hadn’t spoken. “When you came to me and asked me to replace you as Champion, you knew, and I knew, that you were risking everything. Firstly, you were revealing to me that you weren’t as strong as you wanted me and everyone else to believe—you were admitting your greatest weakness. In addition, you were revealing to me your deepest desire, your wish to free yourself and your Pokémon from the constraints of a life of battle, and you came to me because you thought I might be able to make that wish come true, or at least not judge you for having such a wish. And lastly, you were entrusting me with you and your Pokémon’s proudest achievement—something that you all sacrificed a great deal to obtain, even if by then you were no longer proud of it. Do you know how I felt when I realized all of this?”

“I—Well—you—you can’t tell me that you were overjoyed. I know you weren’t.” Although his mind was still reeling from all that he had just heard, Steven forced himself to respond, unwilling to reveal just how deeply Wallace’s words had affected him.

“True enough. I was surprised—maybe even shocked—and more than a little afraid. But most of all…most of all, I was grateful.”

“Grateful?” That was the last word Steven had been expecting.

“Yes, Steven, grateful. Grateful for your faith in me. Grateful that you entrusted me—me of all people—with your most feared weakness, your deepest wish, and your greatest achievement. You knew that I wasn’t even the next strongest trainer after you, and you knew I had no obligation to say yes, but in spite of all this you came to me. Do you have any idea how much that meant to me? Do you, Steven?”

This time Steven was too stunned by Wallace’s revelation to do anything but stare, open-mouthed.

“And if that hadn’t been enough to convince me of how much I meant to you, your reaction when I said yes erased every last doubt. I’ll never forget it. Never.”

Steven would never forget it, either.

“I…I cried, didn’t I?”

Wallace nodded, smiling fondly. “Yes, you did, all over my shoulder, if I recall properly. And you were holding onto me so tightly that I thought I’d pass out before you let go.”

A faint blush was spreading rapidly across Steven’s features as he muttered a sheepish “sorry” in response to the last statement. Wallace noticed the change in his friend’s expression and decided that it was the perfect time to continue.

“And I knew then, right then, that you loved me. So when you told me you loved me that night of—consummation—you were telling me something that you had already proven to me long before. And the truth is, Steven, the love that you have for me as your friend—that’s all I truly want, and that’s the only thing that I couldn’t stand you giving away to someone else. I could care less if I stopped being your romantic interest, as long as I always remain your best friend. That’s all that matters.”

“Wallace…”

“I will always be your best friend, right?”

Steven looked up, startled at the question.

“I-I…Y-you…”

“Of course, I don’t mind taking second place to your Pokémon—that’s only natural.”

“N-no, that’s not what I meant,” Steven amended hurriedly, then realized that Wallace had added the sentence as an afterthought, not in response to his two stuttered words. “I mean, I meant… Yes. You will always be my best friend.” Steven could no longer keep the smile from spreading across his features. “Along with my Pokémon,” he added with a chuckle.

Seeing his friend finally at ease, Wallace returned the smile with an equally heartfelt grin of his own. “Then I take it that you won’t apologize for any more trivial, silly things from now on?”

“I... Of course.”

The two stood in silence for a few minutes, just enjoying each other’s company. Then Steven spoke again.

“Wallace?”

“Yes, Steven?”

“You said you’d never refuse any request I made of you, right?”

“Yes, I believe I did.” Wallace wondered what Steven wanted.

“Then will you promise not to say no to my next request?”

“What is it?”

“Will you hit me?”

Wallace stared at Steven for several seconds. Then, without warning, he burst out laughing.

Steven fixed an annoyed expression on his friend. “I…I’m serious! I won’t feel better until you do.”

Wallace only continued to laugh. About half a minute passed before he could bring himself to speak again.

“Are…are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“All right, if you’re truly sure…” Wallace formed a fist and swung his arm toward Steven, who waited docilely. However, just as contact seemed imminent, Wallace suddenly stopped short and unclenched his hand…

“Hey, why’d you—”

…and flicked Steven on the nose.

“—Oww!”

“I’m sincerely sorry I couldn’t fulfill your request this time. But hitting someone is such a graceless action… I couldn’t bring myself to do it. You understand, don’t you?” Wallace flashed Steven his most charismatic smile.

Steven opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was a dry, breathless squeak, and in the end the only thing he did was blush fiercely.

“Oh, dear, I hope I didn’t offend you that much!” In an unexpected gesture, Wallace took one of Steven’s hands and placed a light kiss on the surprised man’s fingers. “You’ll still love me, though, won’t you?” Wallace asked in his most seductive purr.

Steven flushed an even deeper red and gave a barely perceptible nod.

“Then that’s all that matters,” Wallace finished, pressing his beloved best friend’s hand to his lips once more.

I read all of this on your deviantart account and your ff.net account too. I still think its really awesome. I really love the personalities you gave the two of them and its very well written.
Don't feel scared to put things up. Just because its not one of the "popular" ships, doesn't mean its not welcome It's still a shipping fic, Tip! You're a good writer and I know I'd like to see more of your stuff in the future

Thanks for the reviews! Now for the epilogue. Where things get smutty. Yey. I'll be splitting it into parts to avoid one BIGHUGE post.

-----------------Epilogue Part I

With the feel of Wallace’s lips still lingering on his fingers, Steven reluctantly withdrew his hand. A few seconds later, however, his hand had changed course entirely, and it soon rested lightly against Wallace’s face. And now that he had all the time in the world to gaze upon it, Steven became aware of how incredibly beautiful it was: almost feminine in the sophisticated grace of its form and the subtle delicacy of its features. Steven let his fingers wander seemingly of their own accord, tracing the elegant curve of his friend’s cheek, marveling in the feel of the warm skin that was every bit as soft to the touch as it looked. As his fingers wandered, they came into contact with a long, wavy strand of shimmering blue-green hair. Steven slowly wound the strand around his index finger and watched as the springy hair unwound itself and slid off like fine silk.

“Entertained?”

Steven looked up at the sound of Wallace’s amused voice. The action caused him to stare straight into his companion’s striking sea-colored eyes. He found himself wondering how many obsessive fans must fall head-over-heels every day at even the most casual of glances from those eyes. But what did they know, Steven thought fiercely, almost possessively. All they ever saw was whatever illusion Wallace chose to present to his audience. But he, Steven Stone, knew the truth behind the image and the artistry. After all, he was the only human being who had ever had the privilege of seeing the self-assured nonchalance in those mesmerizing azure depths melt into a vulnerable tenderness. That tenderness was there now, along with the ghost of a smile playing about his friend’s lips. Those lips. Soft and expressive, and almost always graced with that subtle, self-confident smile. And once again, Steven recalled with an uncharacteristic smugness that he was one of the few people who had ever seen that smile change, sometimes becoming less subtle, sometimes losing its self-confidence, sometimes even twisting into a frown or grimace of sadness, anger, or anguish. Steven reached out and lightly ran a finger across the new object of his attention, feeling it shift slightly under his touch to form the most alluring expression that he had ever seen.

Wallace reached up and gently pulled Steven’s hand away, then continued to clasp it loosely between his own two hands. As he did so, he took the time to make some observations about the man standing in front of him. What struck him most—and what he always found most irresistible—was the odd combination of maturity and boyishness in Steven’s countenance. The man’s eyes, usually unreadable walls of cold, gray steel, nevertheless sparkled just like a child’s in his moments of sincere happiness. Wallace smiled to himself as he recalled that those moments often involved rare stones, and at those times Steven was the very image of a young boy gazing starry-eyed at some marvelous new trinket. At all other times, though, one would be hard-pressed to find any trace of innocence or childishness behind the razor-blade stare of a Champion who knew struggle, duty, power, pain.

At the moment though, Steven’s expression was neither childish nor fierce, but rather drowsy. Feeling exhaustion take its toll at last, Steven tried but failed to fight back a yawn.

“You really ought to get some rest.” Wallace looked around the room. “But as you can see, I don’t really have any sufficiently comfortable furniture for you to sleep in here…”

Steven rubbed sleepily at his eyes.

“…You can borrow my bed, if you’d like.”

This last comment was sufficient to jolt Steven out of his somnolent state. “N-no, I don’t think that will be necessary, um… It’s okay, I’ll just go home now…”

“Not at this time of night you won’t.”

“And who’s to stop me?”

Wallace stared pointedly at Steven, who would have glared defiantly back except that he was honestly having trouble staying awake. Knowing how stubborn his friend could be, Wallace tried a compromise. “Fine, fine. But at the very least go take a shower to freshen yourself up. You’ll feel better, and then you can leave without making me worry that you’ll fall off your Skarmory.”

Steven was tempted to just leave, but he was too tired to argue further. He let Wallace lead him to the bathroom, and then stepped inside. Wallace was about to shut the door behind him when he noticed that Steven was just standing there.

“Steven? What are you doing?”

“Hmm? Nothing.” Steven yawned again.

“Which would be the problem. Hurry up and take your shower.”

Steven didn’t move. He looked at Wallace with a dazed, unfocused gaze.

Wallace expelled a long sigh. “What? Do I have to come and undress you myself?” He asked in half-serious exasperation.

“…Huh?” It took a few moments for Wallace’s words to actually register in Steven’s mind. Then, suddenly, the fog of sleepiness seemed to lift from his eyes and his expression grew sly, something Wallace had not seen for the longest time.

Is 9,900+ words lengthy enough? That's the 3-chaptered fic (3,600+ words) and the Epilogue (6,300+). I'm aware of the length rule, which says:

2.3) All fics/chapters MUST be at least a page long. If you’re a good writer, you’ll know that one page isn’t enough for a well written story anyway.

and for your information, the 3,600+ words comes out to about 12 pages on Microsoft Word (5 pages for Chapter 1, 3 pages for Chapter 2, 4 pages for Chapter 3) and the 6,300+ words comes out to 14 pages, for a total of 28 pages of fic. I appreciate your well-intentioned advice, but I think I know what I'm doing in terms of fic length--the thread is NOT likely to be closed based on length of fic/chapters.

On the other hand, if anything gets this thread closed, it may be a continuation of reviews such as

WOW! Best origin ship ever! very good! *gives cookie*

or

Did not expect that.

as stated in the rules (which I actually did read all the way through):

4.3) Review SPAM is getting on our nerves – don’t do it! When reviewing, elaborate your post to what you liked, what you didn’t like, what surprised you, etc. Reviews such as “I loved it! Do more!” and the like will be deleted on sight. If you really did read and liked the fic/chapter, you’ll honor the author’s hard work with a good, full, honest review.

In case you didn't get the point, I'd appreciate more than a token one-liner as a review.

If you disagree with any of the above, feel free to PM a mod and get his/her advice.

------------

Epilogue Part II

The completely unexpected response left Wallace speechless, and he stood staring at Steven for several seconds with an air of incomprehension. However, he soon regained his composure, and as the surprise faded off his features, he murmured with a wily expression of his own, “Well now…that depends. How much would you have me…remove?”

Steven held Wallace’s gaze for a moment, then answered, “Let’s just start with these, and we’ll see how far it goes.” He gestured to the metal cuffs around his arms.

Wallace raised an eyebrow but made no further comment. He then walked over and attempted to remove the rings of steel, but without success. He tried again.

“Having trouble?” Steven asked after watching Wallace fiddle with the cuffs for about two minutes.

“Very funny, Steven. Don’t expect me to keep this up for your entertainment.” Wallace shook his fingers to ease the tension in them.

Wallace heaved a sigh before gingerly placed his fingers against the steel once more. He had barely begun to tug at the metal when Steven interrupted him.

“Here, let me help.” Steven placed his own hands on top of Wallace’s and guided the latter’s fingers until the cuffs snapped open. “See? It’s really not that hard.”

“Yes, I’m sure it isn’t, provided you know how they work,” Wallace muttered reproachfully. Steven responded with a disarming smile and gently massaged his friend’s sore fingers in apology. “Still up for the rest? I promise it’ll be easier.”

“Oh really,” Wallace snapped in annoyance, and then another thought dawned on him. “Well, yes, easier for me, perhaps. But I doubt it will be for you.” Wallace regarded Steven with an expression that made the latter shudder.

“H-hold on a minute…What are you talking about?”

But Wallace only smirked and began snaking his fingers along the stiff white collar of Steven’s shirt until he came to the red kerchief tied at the man’s neck. Steven was starting to suspect what Wallace meant by his last ominous comment. As Wallace’s fingers got closer and closer to the borderline where fabric ended and skin began, the prickling sensation that had suddenly started in Steven’s neck grew increasingly stronger and more uncomfortable.

“…Nnnh…” Steven suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

“There we go.” Wallace slowly slid the soft red fabric off Steven’s neck, watching with amusement as the man’s throat bobbed with the effort of swallowing hard.

As the last of the red kerchief slid off, Steven began breathlessly, “I…I think—”

“I think I’ll continue. You’re right, this is much easier.” Wallace quickly removed Steven’s dark gray suit. Steven was a bit surprised but also secretly relieved that Wallace hadn’t taken advantage of that chance to torment him some more. Then he remembered that there was still the matter of his dress shirt. Which was right against his skin.

“Then hurry up and don’t—don’t—don’t d-do th-tha-a-at!” Steven’s last word cut off with a yelp as he felt Wallace’s hands graze the skin along his sides. Wallace stopped mid-motion and raised an eyebrow at his friend. He didn’t expect Steven to react like this when he wasn’t even trying to tease him in the least.

“I…I’m sorry…” Steven realized he must be overreacting and flushed red with embarrassment. Wallace had indeed not touched him any more than was absolutely necessary for the removal of the shirt, but even that brief, relatively impersonal contact had somehow been more than he could stand.

“…unless, that is, you’d like me to continue…?” Wallace shifted his gaze to indicate what he meant. The water trainer’s face was now so expressionless that Steven was tempted to believe that he honestly had nothing else in mind other than finishing the task at hand.

In the meantime, Wallace took Steven’s silence as an implicit cue to proceed, and began undoing the man’s belt.

“W-Wait!”

Wallace stopped.

“Umm…Uh…You forgot something.”

“Oh?” Wallace was curious as to what Steven meant.

“Here. These.” Steven reached a hand forward, displaying the rings on his fingers.

“Those? Steven, you don’t need to remove those to shower.”

“I know, but…” Steven slid a ring off a finger and let it rest in his palm. He looked as if he wanted to do something else with it, but was hesitating. As soon as Wallace reached out to take the ring, however, he seemed to come to a decision. He waited until Wallace’s hand was close enough, then slipped the ring onto one of the slender digits.

Ok about your post i can not belive im saying this being corrected by someone that has not been here as long as me but....... Your right. Tonight I will not post anymore and read the rules and since i know Encyclopika will be on my tail ill leave a great review.
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The epilouge was great and is still great your a great writer and i hope you will not be going anytime soon. I loved the ending hmmm what does the ring mean? *suspensful music* Your doing a fine job and im sorry i said its not lengthy enough it is just that i usually read longer fics than this. Your agreat fic writer and keep up the good work!

There was a long silence. Wallace stared fixedly at the bright band of silver around his finger, while Steven pretended to be equally fascinated with the floor tiles.

“Steven?”

“Hnn…?”

“That…I…er…That was…very romantic of you.” Wallace fought the urge to hold his own staring contest with the floor and forced himself to watch Steven’s reaction.

Steven finally hazarded a glance upward to find Wallace gazing at him, and at the sight of Wallace’s shy yet expectant face, a sheepish but pleased smile crept across his lips. However, another long period of silence followed.

Wallace felt the sudden need to break the ice. “Of course…”

“Yes?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t recommend repeating this with your future fiancée, because although I might find being proposed to by a half-undressed man in a bathroom at four in the morning romantic, most other people probably would not,” Wallace chuckled rather halfheartedly, forcing himself to maintain eye contact despite an increasing urge to avert his gaze.

Steven was completely taken aback by this bolt from the blue, but he realized that Wallace was joking and tried to join in his friend’s laughter, even though his eyes revealed an entirely different emotion. The oddness in Steven’s expression did not escape Wallace’s attention, and the latter’s desire to look away suddenly became almost too strong to resist.

“Steven, are you all right?”

“I…I’m fine…It’s just…”

There was a definite trace of sadness in the smile that had accompanied Steven’s response, and Wallace had a good idea of what had caused it. “Yes, Steven?” He asked very gently, almost timidly, at last no longer able to meet Steven’s glance.

Steven realized in the heaviness of the subsequent silence that Wallace couldn’t bring himself to speak more than those few words of apology, and Steven didn’t need to hear anymore to understand. For a man who specialized in the art of illusion, Wallace was surprisingly pragmatic, and Steven knew that it wasn’t cruelty but reason that made Wallace distance himself. Not wanting to make any false guarantees. Accepting the possibility that maybe this really wasn’t meant to be. Steven felt slightly stupid for not having such foresight himself. He chagrin only increased as he remembered the talk he’d had with Wallace just under an hour ago and what he had learned from it. At least now he finally had his priorities straight. He was tempted to tell Wallace something to this effect, but then realized that such a response wasn’t what Wallace wanted at all. No, what Wallace wished to hear was far simpler, and far more meaningful than another handful of excuses.

“That’s okay.” He reached out and touched Wallace on the cheek, gently lifting the other man’s face. As the two gazes met, Wallace felt his breath catch at the sight of the tender sincerity sparkling in silver, and Steven could only smile as he watched the sunshine of elation break through the storm of anguish that had been raging in that deep blue sea.

For once, Wallace was the first to look away. He was suddenly aware of a new hesitation that he couldn’t remember ever having felt around Steven.

“Um…Would you…Would you mind if I…What I mean is, would you like me to…I mean, just so you can…” Wallace made an almost imperceptible gesture at the shower behind Steven. “O-or if you’d prefer, you can do it yourself…and I’ll just…be outside…” Wallace stared back down at floor and fiddled nervously with a corner of his shirt sleeve. Steven, unused to seeing his friend so completely bereft of his usual nonchalant air, was only too aware of how adorable Wallace looked in that moment of vulnerability, the warm pink flush coloring his cheeks a beautiful contrast to the striking azure eyes and turquoise tresses. Steven walked up behind the man and slid his arms reassuringly around the slender shoulders. Wallace started at the sudden contact, but began to relax into the embrace after a few seconds.

After a few more seconds of silence, he murmured, “I thought you were in a hurry.”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah…”

“I suppose I’d better let you finish, then.” Wallace attempted to pull away, but found himself unable to move.

“Steven? What are you…?”

“But I think maybe I have a little time to spare.”

“And you want to spend it like this?”

“Well…Not exactly like this…” Steven tugged suggestively at the opening of Wallace’s shirt. Wallace threw his friend a questioning look, but his smile indicated that he was not altogether averse to the idea.

Wow this has been an awesome story but now it is coming to the end. *sigh*
The chap was very unexpected. I really did not think he just proposed to him i thought it was just a symbol of their love or something. I also have 1 question. Do you like any other ships besides originshipping? Because i like more than one ship than just origin. And the other people who have looked on here probably do too. im just asking but your originshipping stuff is great!

Pokemondude, I'll answer your question in PM so that I don't distract from the thread.
Again, thanks for the reviews! And just as a heads' up, there are a total of 8 parts to the Epilogue.

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Epilogue Parts IV + V

However, the act of getting out of their clothing and into the shower turned out to be a bit more awkward than either of them had planned. Neither had been expecting the mutual shyness that suddenly recurred once they had both reached a certain state of dishabille.

“Umm…”

“This is…”

“We could just…”

“Probably…”

There seemed to be a tacit agreement that perhaps the water ought to be turned on before any more consideration of undressing.

Wallace absentmindedly stuck a hand in the shower just for the feel of water running over his fingers. He gaze, however, remained fixed on Steven. Wallace let his eyes wander over his companion’s body, noting how it was muscular from constant trekking in caves and mountains, but not so bulky that a thin layer of clothing couldn’t easily conceal the muscle contours to leave visible only the man’s willowy frame. In his every movement and gesture—even in his moments of stillness—Steven gave the impression of having incorporated the living steel of his Pokémon within himself, and Wallace loved nothing more than to watch the man’s steady, precise motions and feel the raw power running just beneath the surface of calculated control.

“Do you have a water temperature preference?” Wallace suddenly remembered to ask as he broke out of his reverie.

“Wha—huh? Did you say something?” Steven had been too busy with his own observations of Wallace to hear the question. The man’s incredibly slender, supple body, with its milky skin and almost complete lack of muscular definition, somehow reminded Steven of a Milotic. The comparison seemed surprisingly natural: Milotic were notoriously beautiful, combining an undercurrent of sinuous inner strength with their graceful outer form to produce a hypnotic effect on anyone, Pokémon or human, who stared a little too long. Wallace possessed that same apparently effortless finesse and mesmerizing allure, and Steven wanted nothing more than to be drawn in and held with no chance of escape.

Realizing that Steven’s mind was elsewhere, Wallace splashed water over the man to snap him out of it. Steven shook his head with a start, then turned to Wallace. “Hey…!” He leaned over, reached into the shower, and retaliated. Water and laughter flew through the air, and for a wonderful moment they were just two boys again, roughhousing as only best friends could. Wallace splashed Steven once more, then tried to get away before Steven could do the same, only to realize that there wasn’t really anywhere to run in the small bathroom. Steven quickly realized this too, and after a bit of chasing managed to ensnare Wallace. Trapped as he was, Wallace knew there was only one way to escape. With a bit of effort and some acrobatics, Wallace managed to slide free of his shirt, duck beneath Steven’s arm, and put as much distance as possible between himself and Steven, with the result of ending up in the shower stall. It was about then that Wallace realized his mistake: the sliding door of the stall opened in only one direction. Unfortunately for him, Steven realized it too, and took his time sauntering over toward his cornered prey, kicking off his pants en route. Wallace was forced to try his last resort. Using all his strength, he jammed the door shut, but both his grip on the door and his footing were slippery from the shower water, and eventually Steven’s greater strength forced the door open again—simultaneously causing Wallace to lose his footing and trip. All Wallace knew of the next few seconds was that one moment he was falling, and the next his descent had been abruptly but gently arrested by a warm, strong arm. A bit more fumbling ensued during which all remaining articles of clothing were mutually removed, and suddenly the two men found themselves pressed nose-to-nose against each other in the shower—flushed, breathless, and giggling, completely drenched and decidedly undressed.

As the exhilaration passed, Wallace remembered what they were supposed to be doing. Seeing that they were both sufficiently covered in water, he reached for the soap, an action that forced him to lean past Steven. This was especially convenient for the latter, who only needed to twist slightly to trap the other man against the shower wall by placing his arms against the wall to either side of Wallace and leaning in until their bodies were mere inches apart.

~~~

Wallace shifted uncomfortably at the feel of the cold tiling pressed up against his back. “Steven, I can’t…move…”

Instead of responding, Steven simply grinned like a mischievous child.

“Steven! If you don’t let me go, I’ll—Nnmff!”

Steven cut the threat short with a soft, slow kiss, simultaneously pulling Wallace away from the wall and into his arms. Even as he did so, he felt Wallace reach up and smear soap into his hair and then all over his body as well, and the soap-slicked fingers tracing down his sides and then along the inside of his legs told Steven that he was mistaken if he thought he had gotten the better of his companion. Wallace, meanwhile, was enjoying the feel of Steven’s skin, supple and slippery under the layers of water and soapy foam, and contouring like fine satin to the teasing pressure of his fingertips. He reached back up and gently massaged Steven’s neck and shoulders, instinctively locating every sore and sensitive spot and kneading patiently until he felt the tension melt from the firm musculature. A soft moan slipped from Steven’s lips as he felt those delicate fingers skillfully and lovingly work their magic against his exhausted body. Wallace extended the massage to various other areas of Steven’s body, first moving upward to trace along the man’s jawline and stroke his face, then slipping back downward and downward still…

Steven pulled away with a gasp as a jolt of sensation shot through him. “W-Wallace…!” Steven threw his arms around the other man’s neck to keep himself from collapsing. However, he couldn’t keep himself from writhing in pleasure as deft, slippery fingers cradled his most private and vulnerable of places. And in that instant Steven knew what it was to love someone who had mastered the art of combining ruthlessness and tenderness in his every move.

“Just making sure we don’t miss anything…” Wallace purred, his fingers moving a bit more quickly and roughly now over the sensitive layer of skin—just enough to arouse but not to hurt. He then placed his mouth back over Steven’s and this time deepened the kiss, letting their tongues entwine. Steven sighed breathlessly into the meshing of lips and worked his tongue out of its entangled state to sweep it over every inch of Wallace’s mouth, wanting to memorize the taste of the man whom he now wanted more than he had ever wanted anything else. This want…this desire…this need…This was vulnerability—no, complete surrender—and something in Steven’s subconscious knew it could not exist without the unconditional love and trust that he shared with one person alone.

Already awash in passion, Steven offered no resistance as he felt hot, wet skin slide along his own and heard the long sigh of Wallace’s voice as the man pressed their bodies together. Wandering hands—Steven was barely aware that they were his own—reached around as if of their own will and deepened the enmeshment.

Despite the headlong rush of desire, Wallace couldn’t completely suppress his body’s natural response to something that it was unused to, this being only the second time this had ever happened. He couldn’t remember it hurting this much the first time, but then again, he couldn’t really remember anything of how it had felt the first time. The soreness only intensified as Steven slid deeper into him, until Wallace was visibly gritting his teeth to keep from crying out and his body was quivering with tension. In the next instant, Steven was grabbing onto Wallace in order to wrench the two of them apart, no matter how badly his own body wanted otherwise. Wallace, realizing what Steven was about to do but too weak with pain to physically stop him, could only shake his head violently and whisper, “Please, don’t…” He needed this—they both needed this—and a moment’s pain was nothing—

“No…I’m…hurting you!” Steven growled, determined to end this even though his own body screamed with the ache of unfulfilled arousal as he tried to extricate himself from the physical entanglement.

“But…but what about you…? If we…stop…then you’ll be—”

“Enough…! You…Y-You…” You’ve made too many sacrifices for my sake…too many, and I won’t let you make any more! “No…After all you’ve done for me…It’s the least I can do not to hurt you…”

“…Steven…please, please don’t…” Wallace insisted, clinging as tightly to Steven as his trembling arms would allow in a last desperate attempt to keep Steven from separating them. But Steven‘s will to spare his dearest friend any more agony was far stronger than Wallace’s ability to resist. He finally pulled completely away, biting his lip to keep from making a sound, although every nerve in his body keened in protest.

Thanks, I'm glad you picked up on the bittersweet feeling that I was trying for.

And of course, more reviews means I can update again (since I'm not double posting)!

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Epilogue Part VI (R-RATED MATERIAL WARNING)

Steven stumbled backward slightly, freeing himself from Wallace’s arms. Both of them stood facing each other in the shower, staring at but not quite seeing each other, their ears filled with the sound of the shower water and their own thudding heartbeats and panting breaths.

Wallace was the first to move, taking one wobbling step toward Steven with an outstretched hand. Steven instantly reached out to steady Wallace, who was clearly about to fall over. He thought to withdraw from the contact as soon as the other had regained his balance, but found himself unable to as Wallace refused to let go.

Steven’s own eyes burned molten silver with desperation as the man felt himself torn between his fear of harming Wallace and his desire to comply with his friend’s heartbreaking pleas. “I’m so…so afraid I’ll…hurt you…”

“Steven…Steven…there’s nothing in the world you could ever do to hurt me…” Wallace let his sentence taper off, tacit ending floating within the wavering azure that held Steven’s gaze.

Steven wanted so much to believe in the truth of those words.

“Please, trust me.” Wallace glanced at his friend and watched the emotions flickering beneath the surface of those quicksilver pools.

And then at last, at last Steven realized what Wallace was trying to tell him without words, and realized that deep down he had known the same thing all along: this wasn’t a question of one being the martyr of the other’s selfish lust; this was nothing more and nothing less than the necessary consummation of a bond of love and trust painstakingly built over years and years, and the worst thing he could do would be to deny it.

And Wallace knew that Steven finally understood when he felt those strong, trusted arms enfold him and draw him close enough for him to hear Steven’s breaths ragged with ineffable gratitude and joy as the man rested his head against Wallace’s shoulder. Wallace smiled and leaned in, gently laying his head on top of the wet silvery strands of his beloved’s hair. Steven allowed his hands to roam along Wallace’s sensitive body, feeling the flawlessly smooth skin yield beneath his fingers, tracing the elegant curves of shoulders and hips, and sweeping down the graceful arc of the man’s back from neck to tailbone before coming to rest there.

Steven nodded and buried his face deeper into the contour of Wallace’s neck in an attempt to suppress his nervousness, then slowly slid a finger into Wallace, all the while painfully aware of how his partner’s body tensed and contracted around the digit. Only the warm words, stronger than his cold fear, allowed him to continue.

Wallace, knowing how difficult this was for Steven, tried his best not to respond excessively to the steady pressure of the gently probing finger. He shivered almost imperceptibly and slightly tightened his grip on Steven’s arm, but otherwise gave no sign of discomfort. Instead, he reached around until he found the bar of soap. As he began coating his fingers with the slippery substance, he caught Steven’s eye.

“A-are you…?”

Wallace merely smiled disarmingly.

A few moments later, a very flushed Steven—with a very prominent and well-lubricated arousal courtesy of a certain someone who was still smiling serenely just a few inches away—reunited their bodies as carefully as he could, wishing fervently that he possessed even a little of his friend’s grace and finesse so that he could minimize the sensation of pain. As it was, he tried to alleviate any soreness with a rain of gentle kisses and soft caresses, eventually reaching down to slowly finger the firmness pressed against his groin.

“Am I…hurting you?” He queried in a soft murmur, afraid that desire was making his voice rougher than he intended.

Wallace responded by pressing their lips together once more.

Steven wanted to sob with relief and longing as the kiss broke and he felt himself surrounded by Wallace’s living heat, but any sound was quickly buried in the chorus of sporadic panting gasps over the steady splash of running water. Then suddenly Steven was frantically seeking for Wallace’s mouth again, terrified once more of the reality of his hardness driving deeper and deeper into yielding flesh, into that body giving of itself to embrace his weakness in warmth and placate his need with shuddering contractions of muscle, the body that belonged to the best friend whose kiss he sought as the only means of redemption from his wanton transgressions even as he committed them.

The last 2 chapters were... err... very descriptive. The descripition you put into this story made it feel like you were actually Wallace or Steven in the shower. (which is very good description if you ask me). Sadly the story is coming to the end and I will be bored with nothing to do.

Ah, I'm glad you appreciate the description--it was incredibly hard to do. And sorry about the fic coming to an end, but yeah, this is the last part. Thanks for being such a consistent reviewer!

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Epilogue Parts VII + Final (NC-17 MATERIAL WARNING)

One kiss.

Wallace could feel the shaking. The pressure within him, the arms around him, the body against him—everything was shivering and unsure. As if ashamed. As if afraid. Again?

No. That was the answer Wallace decided upon as he touched his lips to the beseeching mouth. For a moment the kiss was filled with the bland wetness of tap water. Then a soft tongue slid in and replaced the insipid foreign taste with a comforting richness, and as it did so slender arms reached around to steady the trembling ones dispossessed of their strength by an endearing and almost child-like hesitation. Wallace broke the kiss for just an instant to catch his breath and murmur soothingly before recapturing Steven’s lips with his own in one seamless motion.

As Steven felt their mouths seize and tongues entangle again he became aware of a familiar heated stiffness rubbing against his abdomen. He reached down and gripped it as tightly as he dared, desperately trying to reciprocate the pleasure he felt that was both cause and counter to his guilt, hoping to at least make Wallace feel as much and wanting the man to feel even more—anything to erase every last trace of the pain that Steven sincerely believed he was causing the one he loved.

Wallace allowed a stifled groan to escape from his throat as he felt Steven’s callused hands move over every inch of his erection, tracing the length from tip to base and teasingly squeezing the softness just beyond. The rough skin chafing against the delicate, nerve-rich flesh created a deliciously painful friction that brought on an intense throbbing sensation. Wallace bit hard on his lips to keep from making a sound, but each movement of Steven’s fingers was matched by Steven’s stiff penis rubbing against Wallace’s sensitive interior, and the combined onslaught was more than Wallace could stand in silence. Before he knew it, he was emitting a constant stream of soft whimpering noises even as he felt the thrusts move further and further into him until a violent jolt of pleasure informed Wallace that Steven had hit his prostate. Steven, meanwhile, muffled his own vocalizations with a series of fiercely tender kisses to the soft crook of Wallace’s neck, placing them in time to his lover’s cries.

No longer in conscious control of his body, all Wallace could do was surrender himself to the feeling of his muscles seizing up tighter and tighter as the rhythm of their bodies reached a frenetic crescendo. The intense heat building inside Steven increased with each spasm of his lover’s tight inner walls that clung to the erection plunging into them so mercilessly. Soon Steven felt as if his entire body had been set afire, and the burning ache grew for what seemed like an eternity, nowhere more powerful than the fire in his groin. And just when Steven was certain his body would be consumed by that immense, maddening sensation, a flood of white-hot pleasure exploded from deep within his hips and released itself as a burst of viscous semen gushing copiously into Wallace’s body. Wallace let a cry of sheer ecstasy tear from his throat as he felt the hot liquid spill into him, filling him until the overflow trickled out in a slippery film from between his reddened anus and the erect penis that was stretching it taut. Unable to stand it any longer, Wallace instinctively rammed himself down onto Steven’s still-firm erection, forcing the hard penis into his prostate one last time, and in the next instant he was no longer aware of anything except the massive shockwave of pure bliss that shot up his spine and sent lightning surging through every nerve, literally blinding him with pleasure. The electric ecstasy coursed through his body and ravaged his senses until with one final, massive, full-body spasm, Wallace released into Steven’s tightly clenched hands; what Steven’s hands failed to catch sprayed onto his stomach, and the rest spilled out from between Steven’s fingers to run down Wallace’s legs in sticky rivulets.

Without warning, Steven slumped forward so that he was leaning a great deal of his weight on Wallace, pressing the latter against the bathroom wall. Wallace’s mouth opened to make some sort of startled noise, but his voice had left him for the time being. Then he felt Steven’s arms tighten around him as the man rested his head heavily against his shoulder. Wallace could feel the mix of thank-you and apology in Steven’s gesture, in the void where speech might have been. Wallace understood that at this moment Steven was, for both physical and emotional reasons, incapable of the act of separating the two of them. Smiling fondly, Wallace tilted his head down and placed a light kiss right on the line separating skin and silvery hair, a reciprocate gesture to let Steven know that he was welcome and there was no need for apology, and to reassure him for the next moment when Wallace eased himself off of Steven in one gentle, fluid motion during which Steven felt Wallace’s back conform once more into that infinitely graceful dancer’s curve for one brief instant.

~~~

They continued to just stand pressed against each other—each depending on the other to steady his trembling legs—letting the afterglow wash over them like the shower water that ran down their skin and washed away the sweat and stickiness while preserving the heat. Finally, Wallace fumbled behind him and turned off the faucet. Both of them stumbled out of the shower on unsteady legs, Wallace leaning heavily on Steven for support due to the added weakness of the dull ache traveling up his back from his tailbone. Despite the soreness, he had the presence of mind to grab a towel as they made their meandering way to the bedroom. The clothing on the floor would have to wait.

As soon as they entered the doorway of the bedroom, Steven decided that he had recovered enough strength to spare his friend the effort of walking any farther, and picked Wallace up without so much as a warning.

“Steven, I can walk,” Wallace protested weakly even as he felt Steven carry him across the room and lean down to deposit him onto the bed. However, instead of letting go once he was on the bed, Wallace kept his arms around Steven’s neck and let himself fall backward, pulling Steven down with him. The two of them hit the sheets with a soft thud. Lying on his back with Steven leaning over him, Wallace threw the towel around Steven’s head and began drying off the damp hair, watching it flash like silver rain around Steven’s face as the moonlight reflected off the wet strands. The towel eventually made its way down to Steven’s neck and shoulders and then to his back, but just as it reached his waist, Steven took Wallace by the wrist and pulled his hands and the towel away.

“I think I’m dry enough. It’s your turn now.” Grinning, Steven took the towel and slid it along the supple milky skin of the man lying beneath him. He then eased Wallace into a sitting position on his lap, ever mindful of the man’s tender spot, and began carefully drying off the rest of his friend, reveling in the heat of the soft body pressed right up against him.

When he was finally finished, Steven moved to set the towel on a nearby dresser, assuming that Wallace would slide off of him back onto the bed. Instead, Wallace lingered for a moment and nuzzled Steven’s neck, planting a few quick kisses on the still-damp skin before reluctantly letting go and lowering himself to the bed. Steven flopped down beside him, and the two of them lay like that for several minutes, each marveling at the way the other’s silken hair and creamy skin glowed with the lingering kiss of the waning moonlight. Just as Wallace was certain Steven was about to fall asleep, Steven suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers.

“Wallace…” Steven breathed, gazing at his friend through half-closed eyes. He briefly tightened his grip on Wallace’s hand and whispered something into the darkness. The words floated as mist upon the ether of night, slowly coalescing into a fragile prayer, a heartfelt supplication, yet another secret wish brought up from somewhere so deep that it hurt to reach into, confessed to the only person Steven could trust with something so precious. Wallace held his breath, afraid that even the slightest sound would erase the lingering traces of Steven’s words. In the end, all he could do was nod and draw Steven in as close as possible. Steven responded by nestling his head against Wallace’s chest as he felt himself enveloped by the soothing security of that familiar embrace and the comforting scent of the skin that brushed against his face. And with the scent came cherished memories once lost to time: fragrant Pokéblock berries…cool seaside breezes…bright wildflowers…fresh spring rain…a starlit night sky…and each memory tinged with the warmth of his friend’s presence… It wasn’t long before Steven’s slow, even breathing indicated that he had fallen fast asleep, lulled to peace by the proximity of the man lying beside him. Wallace gazed fondly upon his companion’s sleeping form, observing the way the severe, unforgiving lines of the ex-Champion’s powerful features melted away into a tender innocence. He decided right then that he would allow nothing—not paperwork, not the imminent dawn, not even a summons from the League itself—to disturb the exhausted man until he had gotten enough rest. With a fond smile, Wallace placed a soft kiss on Steven’s lips, knowing that the subtle contact would not disturb the deep, dreamless slumber. Then he, too, settled down beneath the sheets, pressed gently against the man who through countless personal agonies had transcended the roles of best friend and lover to become irreplaceable soulmate.